A/N Happy Sunday everyone. My apologies for making you all wait so long on an update, I've had some serious writers block and I felt bad I couldn't get this out to you all sooner. I have to thank a couple people for helping me with suggestions and giving some advice that led to this wonderful chapter. A big thank you to a-lady-to-me, terriejane, lynnsaundersfanfic, annambates, drstacib, and awesomegreentie. Your help and motivation was much needed and very much appreciated. This chapter didn't quite go as planned as I actually took a bit of a detour. Hope you all enjoy and please review :D

Chapter 23

John sat nervously to the side of the classroom along with all the other parents that had arrived for career day. He hadn't given it much thought when Aidan requested he come instead of Anna.

"Wouldn't you rather your mummy go instead? I have a very boring job," John said in an attempt to dissuade the boy.

Aidan shook his head in disagreement. "Everyone in my class already knows what Mummy does. I want them to know what you do," Aidan said.

Their boy was quite the orator, John often teased Anna. They might have a future lawyer or politician on their hands. It wasn't like he had one of the coveted positions that all children recognized or aimed to become. He wasn't a footballer, a doctor, a policeman, or a fireman. John didn't even know that any of these children would fully comprehend what exactly it was he did. But Aidan had been adamant that he come, and John was determined not to let him down. Even now as he waited his turn and sat through the other parents' presentations, John caught Aidan smiling at him proudly and waving to him from his tiny desk.

Just before they introduced John to the classroom, he felt a reassuring squeeze of the hand and smiled when he saw Anna standing beside him.

"You're going to do just fine," she affirmed in a low voice.

"I'm not so sure about that," John whispered back. He used his free hand to slide a finger under his shirt collar, loosening his tie.

"I am," she said confidently. "At the end of the day you are still going to be his Dad. That's all that matters to him. He just wants to show you off to the world."

"It's a rather odd sensation. I'm not quite used to such attention," he replied.

"Well now is your chance to make him proud," Anna said as Sybil introduced John and prompted Aidan to join him at the front of the class.

He kissed her chastely on the cheek before mouthing for her to wish him luck.

"You'll do great," she mouthed back to him, and gave him a wink.

Aidan led him by the hand to the podium at the front of the room.

"Aidan, why don't you tell us what your Daddy does?" Sybil prompted.

"Well...my Daddy works in a big building," Aidan began as he swung his arms out wide for emphasis.

Anna had to laugh as Aidan seemed to be picking up on John's little flails as of late.

"It's called...um..." Aidan turned to John for help.

John bent down to whisper the answer into Aidan's ear. A few parents giggled in response.

"Oh yes. He works at Grantham Public 'ruh-lations' company. And his office has a big view of the city and the London eye. And he has a big spinny chair at his desk that I get to sit in when I visit him."

"What else?" Sybil encouraged.

"Umm...he has a secretary named Daisy. She's really nice. She lets me colour and brings me chocolate biscuits. She gives them to Daddy too...oh...but that was supposed to be a secret."

John couldn't help but laugh and blush when Anna narrowed her eyes towards him.

"And she has a copy machine and lets me push the button," Aidan reported proudly. "I even got to make copies of my hands."

While this wasn't as impressive to the parents, the children 'oohed' and 'aahed' at John's "glamorous" job. In fact,the more Aidan talked about it, the more John believed maybe he had a future in public relations.

"Ok John, well now that we got Aidan's side of things why don't you tell the class what you get to do," Sybil said cheerfully.

"Well, you know how you get to hear about your favorite movies or shows on the television or radio? Or perhaps you see a billboard when you are driving down the road for a new book that's being released?"

Some of the children nodded their heads in understanding.

"That's what I do. I promote people, shows, books, movies, and ideas. I try to get people like you and your mummies and daddies to want to buy or see them."

"How?" A child in the front row asked.

"Uh...well...what is a toy you want for Christmas?" John asked.

"A remote control airplane," the boy answered immediately.

"Ok. And I bet you like it if it makes noises like a real helicopter, has flashing lights, and maybe even some cool stickers to put on the sides?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome!" The boy responded.

"Well there you go. I try to figure out what it is that you want and I tell my boss and we try to make it happen."

"Cool," the boy exclaimed.

"So your job is making people happy," a little girl in the back stated.

"I never really thought of it that way before, but yeah, I suppose so," John answered back. "Any other questions?"

A handful of children raised their hands, and when John looked down at Aidan, his boy had the largest grin on his face.

John came around to Anna's side of the car to open the door for her, then proceeded to do the same for Aidan.

"Daddy, are you sure you can't stay for lunch. Mummy said she was going to take me to the park, and I want you to come," Aidan pleaded.

"I'm sorry, little man. Daddy had to miss work so he could go to your school today. I told Robert I would make up my time at the office, but you be good for Mummy. Maybe you can teach her a thing or two about football, eh?" John stooped to Aidan's level and lightly squeezed the tip of his nose in an effort to make the boy smile. "You know…" John said with a mischievous grin, "I may just have something on me to cheer you up."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

John held his arms up, and Aidan began looking through John's jacket pockets. He finally found a butterscotch candy in John's jacket pocket and withdrew it. "For me?" Aidan asked as he twirled the golden wrapped treat between his tiny fingers.

"Of course, who else?"

Aidan smiled back triumphantly at John.

"Now give me a hug," John said.

Anna stood by, smiling proudly at the two most important men in her life, grateful that they were closer than she could have ever hoped for.

John looped his arms around Aidan and squeezed him tightly. Aidan mirrored his actions, and stopped to unwrap the candy plopping it in his mouth.

"Now, save your treat for after lunch," John instructed.

Aidan froze in place, not having swallowed the rather large piece of butterscotch that had settled into his cheek. He attempted to reply with a full mouth, "Okay, Daddy."

"I should have said something sooner," John said softly with a chuckle. He rose to his feet and turned to face Anna. "I'm sorry I can't make it to the park, but I'm sure you'll both have fun with Elsie and Charles."

"We will. It just won't be the same without you," she said sadly. "But it means so much to me and to him that you could take time out of your day to come to his class."

"I told you. I'd do anything to make you both happy, and I meant it."

"You better get going," she suggested. "Maybe then you can get home sooner. I wouldn't want you to miss dinner with us as well." Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down slightly to her level so that she could kiss him properly. She placed a tender kiss on the side of his cheek before kissing him slowly, savoring the moment before he left. "I love you. So, so much."

"And I, you," he affirmed.

"Enjoy the rest of your day at work," she said before he pulled away.

And with one last wave he hopped into his car and drove off.

"Grammie! Are you watching?" Aidan shouted from the monkey bars as he swung back and forth.

"Yes, I am sweetheart," Elsie called back from the bench she was sat on with Anna. The wedding had taken place a little over a week ago and Elsie was settling into her new, official title. She couldn't have been happier or made a more beautiful bride. "But please, can you stick to something where both your feet are firmly on the ground?"

"Nope," he responded rather determinedly. Aidan had been attempting to make his way across the monkey bars since he had seen one of the bigger boys do it, and he would not be deterred.

Elsie looked over at Anna worriedly. "I don't know how you do it. I'm ready to jump out of my skin just watching him."

"He'll be fine. He's a boy. If I don't give him a bit of leeway, he'll only find something more dangerous to do when I'm not around," Anna replied with an easy smile. Although, it did not go unnoticed by Elsie that she seemed to be keeping a watchful eye on the child. Anna cleared her throat and fidgeted with her hands nervously before broaching the subject that she had given serious consideration. "I've thought about your offer…"

"Oh."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long, but I wanted to be sure."

"It's quite alright my dear. I wasn't expecting you to drop everything for the shop, not with so many other changes on the horizon for you and your little family," Elsie said.

Anna let out a sigh of relief. She should have known better than to doubt Elsie. Sometimes it was hard to believe that the elder woman hadn't always been a mother. Hadn't always been her mother. It made Anna sad at times, because the older she got the harder it was to remember what it was like when it had been just her, her mother, and Charlie. But she couldn't deny that Elsie's presence in her life hadn't been meaningful, or that the love between Elsie and Charlie wasn't genuine. For that, she would be forever grateful. There had always been a level of understanding between the two. One that surpassed friendship and nearly eclipsed the relationship that Anna had once shared with her mother. She supposed she could have done much worse for a step mother. While she still felt like she was letting Elsie down by not taking up the torch for the shop, Anna had finally come to the conclusion, after much debate, that it was time for her to carve out a path of her own.

"I suspect I have always known your answer," Elsie said before Anna could begin to speak.

"You do?" Anna replied.

"Aidan has always been your first priority. And to run a shop, you have to be willing to put the business first sometimes. I'm not saying you wouldn't be able to do that, but you shouldn't have to." Anna nodded her head in agreement. "Not if your heart isn't in it."

Anna looked over at Aidan and saw him concentrating hard as he tried to make his way across the monkey bars once more, his tongue jutted out between his lips in silent concentration. She smiled at the little man he was becoming, thinking she couldn't afford to miss out on more than she already had as a single mother. "The truth is, Elsie, I won't be leaving you just yet, but I don't suspect I will be staying on much longer. I want to be home when Aidan comes home from school and be able to drop him off every day. Now that I'm with John, I have that option. I also have the chance to really discover who I am, and I think that's taking me down a different path. I want to go back to school."

"That's wonderful," Elsie said. "I won't pretend I'm not going to miss you behind the counter, but I'm glad you have found happiness."

The two women shared a fond embrace, and when they pulled away, they each wiped away the tears that were forming in their eyes.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Anna remarked. "It's not as if we won't see each other ever again."

"That's very true."

"Mommy, look!" Aidan shouted triumphantly as he crossed the last of the monkey bars to the other side of the jungle gym.

Anna looked over just in time to see Aidan release his grip from the final bar and stick the landing. "Great job, sweetheart!" she praised him.

"I did it! I did it!" he squealed.

"Goodness, that was quite a feat you achieved," Elsie added.

"Mummy, can you text John and tell him I did it?'

"Of course I can," Anna responded.

"I can do it again if you want," Aidan offered enthusiastically.

"I don't think that's necessary," Elsie said.

"Hold on. Watch me, Grammie," Aidan persisted.

"All right, but please be careful," Elsie warned.

"I'm a big boy now, Grammie." Aidan began his way across the bars once more and lost his grip, falling the short distance down into the tan bark. The bulk of his tiny weight landed on his arm, and within seconds he erupted into a small cry.

"Aidan. Sweetheart? Are you alright?" Anna asked as she and Elsie ran to his side.

Aidan clutched at his arm as he lay helpless on the ground. "It hurts, Mummy."

Anna tried to pull his other hand away, but he was shielding the injured arm. "I can't fix it if you don't let me look at it, baby," she said in a reassuring tone. Her hands moved gently over his baby soft skin. Anna was trying to keep calm, hoping he hadn't broken anything, though judging by his reaction that is exactly what had happened.

"Can you move it?" Elsie asked.

Aidan made an attempt, but his tear-stained face grimaced in anguish, and he violently shook his head 'no'.

"Come now, sweetheart," Anna encouraged. "I need you to stand and be brave. All right?"

Aidan nodded his head in agreement, as if he really had a choice in the matter.

Elsie stopped him before he sat up completely and removed the scarf she had wrapped loosely around her neck. She placed it over Aidan's shoulders and gently tied it so that he could use it as a sling in hopes of preventing his arm from being jostled. "Hows that?" Elsie asked when she was finished.

"Better, Grammie," he answered back rather pitifully.

Anna gave him a weak smile. "We'll go to the hospital and have the doctor take a look at it. It won't be so bad, kiddo."

The two women helped him to his feet, making every effort to move the injured limb as little as possible.

"I guess I'm not a big boy yet, huh Grammie?"

"Oh, I'd still say you were quite the little soldier. Not too many big kids could take a fall like that and live to tell the tale," Elsie said kindly.

John was walking with the eldest Crawley daughter through the reception hall they had rented out for the book launch. To be honest, this was something she could have handled on her own, but John couldn't handle another minute in a room with Green. In fact, if Anna hadn't already been so excited about going, and Robert hadn't practically twisted his wrist to attend, he would have skipped the whole thing. Instead, he found himself actually half enjoying himself with Mary and attempting to take an interest in her opinions about where centerpieces and lights should go.

"You know, this is the first time I've really had a chance to see you in your element at work. You really have an eye for this sort of thing," he complimented.

"Why, thank you," she replied. Mary stopped to adjust the shade on one of the lights and shifted one of centerpieces slightly. "I would be happy to help you and Anna with the wedding reception if you want."

"I don't think that will be necessary. We just want to keep things small and simple," he said.

"You want to? Or she does?"

"Both actually. I offered to give her the big wedding if she wanted it. She declined," he replied.

She raised an eyebrow in response finding that a little hard to believe. "We can still do something nice on a small scale."

John stared her down, knowing that she had a tendency to get carried away.

"We can."

"I know we can. Can you?"

"If it's what Anna really wants, yes. I promise," Mary said.

John glanced down at her hand and took a look at the one hidden behind her back. "Just checking that your fingers weren't crossed back there."

The two of them broke into smiles and chuckled slightly as she tried to get John to choose between two different colored table cloths. He rolled his eyes in response and pointed to the first one that struck his fancy.

"Care to help me put these on the tables to get a better idea of how these will look?"

"You don't have to ask me twice."

The two of them worked in silence, unfurling the table cloths and spreading them out upon the tables.

"Is this an attempt to keep away from the delightful Mr. Green that everyone is so fond of?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you don't hide it very well. That and Papa informed me of the heated battle between the two of you in the conference room not long ago."

""I hate that he gets to me that way." John let out a long sigh.

Mary flashed a warm smile. "I may not understand why, but I do believe your intentions are honorable. I'm glad my father has someone like you in his corner trying to protect the business."

"It's the least I can do. He gave me a fresh start. I wouldn't have met Anna if it wasn't for his job offer," John shared. He tugged at the corner of the tablecloth to even it out before helping Mary with the last one.

The main door opened, and in walked Mr. Green with Robert not far behind.

John had to restrain a groan of displeasure at the mere sight of the man.

Mr. Green took a few turns around the room before he gave the all too familiar hum that John had come to associate with a request to make a change. It was a matter of seconds before John's prediction became a reality. "You know…" Mr. Green said with his index finger lightly tapping on his chin, "I'm not so sure I'm fond of this color scheme on these table cloths."

Of course that would be the thing he'd pick to disapprove of. The one thing John had selected out of all of her big decisions. Was he doing this on purpose in an effort to drive him up the wall? John was about to interject when she gave his arm a gentle squeeze. She must have sensed that he was about to go off on Mr. Green.

"It's not a problem," she interrupted. "We have two more colors for you to choose from if this doesn't work for you."

"Aren't you a gem," Mr. Green commented. His hand stopped to graze her hand for a moment before fiddling aimlessly with the table cloth. Mr. Green then shot her one of his smiles that made John's stomach contort.

Robert's cellphone cut through the silence, and John found his eyes had settled on Mr. Green. His protective instincts were kicking into overdrive. While he had never been particularly close to Mary, he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something wasn't right about this man. And he didn't care for the way he was hovering around her.

John tried to create some distance between the two, when Robert called him over. He placed a hand over the phone to address John. "Daisy is on the line. She says Anna has been trying to get a hold of you on your mobile for the past hour. She finally gave up and called the front desk when you didn't answer the office line."

John felt the blood drain from his face as he imagined the worst possible scenario. He began patting at his jacket pockets, wondering how he could have missed her call. John instantly remembered leaving his cell phone on his desk. Shit.

Robert offered John his phone, and he willingly took it.

"Hello," he answered anxiously.

The rest of the people in the room, including Mr. Green, turned their attentions towards John.

Daisy filled him in that Anna had taken Aidan to the nearest A&E in London after the boy had taken a fall and he was currently getting x rays. Even though she had made it clear Anna said it wasn't serious, that hadn't stopped John from worrying about their little boy. Instead of having John come back to the office for his phone, Daisy offered to bring it to him.

"Thank you, Daisy," he answered back robotically. His thoughts were a jumble as he tried to calculate the quickest way to get across town to Anna and his boy. "Um...if Anna calls again, let her know I'm on my way and to give Aidan a hug for me," he said. John hung up the phone and handed it back to Robert. "I have to go." He didn't wait for anyone to object or give him permission. John gathered his coat and keys.

"Where are you going?" Robert asked.

"Is everything okay?" Mary inquired.

"Aidan took a spill at the park. I left my phone at the office, and she couldn't get a hold of me. She told Daisy it wasn't serious, but they are down at the A&E," John reported.

"Really?" Mr. Green's ears perked up at the mention of Aidan.

John paid little mind to the younger man, even if he was showing genuine interest. He turned back to Robert and Mary, "I mean it has to be somewhat serious if they are down at A&E right?"

"John, you can't think like that. I'm sure he'll be fine. Anna would have said so if it was something worse," Mary said.

Would she though? Maybe she didn't want to give him any bad news over the phone. "Yeah? You think?" John knew what he had to do next, and yet he felt so lost in that moment. Things were moving too slow for him and yet he thought he was falling behind somehow. Like the world was moving faster than he could react. He just needed to see Anna. Needed to see Aidan. Then everything would make more sense.

"John, I don't think you are in any position to drive. Why don't you let me drive you, mate," Robert offered.

"Uh...yeah...sure. That would be good of you. Thanks," John said.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I drove Mr. Green over here," Robert pointed out. "Would you mind if we…"

"No worries. I completely understand." Mr. Green replied. "Accidents happen, right?" Before John had a chance to respond, he continued to speak. "I hope the lad is fine. I'll find my own way home."